


Loss of Coordination

by Autumnleaf2203



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, Hypothermia, Mind Manipulation, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:49:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnleaf2203/pseuds/Autumnleaf2203
Summary: Yeah, so it turns out that hypothermia, Drakkar, and trying to sleep really don't mix all that well. Dress warm for the weather when you're fighting ice dragons that like to get into your heads, kids.
Kudos: 4





	Loss of Coordination

...And... one, two moments... Seremnis took a long breath, though the sensation was slightly numbed, as it had always been- and she looked up. A mild, cool breeze sent waves along the long grasses, extending for miles just below the small hill she sat upon, lit only by the night sky- in itself clear, full of stars, every one recognizable and in its proper place, just like Malomedies' star charts. And, behind her, a tree- dotted with pink mushrooms. It'd taken her a little while to blend it with the rest of the environment, but… soon, it'd blended well with the rest of her dream. Everything familiar, everything controlled... quiet. Seremnis smiled a little, watching the stars in their ever-so-faint twinkling. She'd been afraid of falling asleep for a while- not sure if Jormag's whispers, ever-present in the waking world, would follow; and she hoped Lumea wouldn't find her dreams for the time being, but...

She closed her eyes for a moment, noticing a slight feeling of cold creeping up her arms, focusing until they warmed again, wiggling her fingers a little. No... no, no need to think about that. These were _her_ dreams, under _her_ control- as long as she simply believed it, she'd be just fine. _It was just a small shame, though- a little difference in these repetitive dreams might've been nice._ But... no, she had to remain in control- and consistency was the best way to do that. If she lost control of her own dreams- something she'd already worked hard to achieve- then... she wasn't sure what else she might lose control of, especially so close to the voice of another elder dragon. _So maybe it'd be best to just be numb to it all..._

...No, that- Seremnis stiffened, _a shiver running up her back,_ and she stood- taking a step away from the tree. That... couldn't have been her own thoughts, could it? _They seemed inviting_ , but- Seremnis growled, the outfit she'd been wearing- one she'd worn years ago, to a Wintersday festival she had fond memories of- fell to what she now wore. Easier to move around in, staff held in both hands- not that she _needed_ it to defend herself here, but the reassurance... _well, maybe she wouldn't even need __to fight._ She spotted some unusual rustling in the grasses ahead of her, taking only a moment to pull the blades apart- only catching a glimpse of shadow as the whatever-it-was fled, seeming to cause more patches of disturbance. _Though, really, what point was there in so finely controlling one's own dream?_ No, this would only take a moment to fix- she only needed to be quick about it, finish them off _before the thundering blizzard in the distance hit_ _._ _She_ was in control of her own dream- she _alone_ had power here, she had to- her fingers tightened around her staff, abruptly flattening the grass around the rustlings, raising _thorned_ vines to wrap around the vague, shadowy creatures, constricting quickly around them and ending their squeals _of terror_ with a resounding _crunch_. _Still, only a small fraction of the power she was capable of wielding._

_...And... then another crunch- thunder, no longer distant but overhead- almost deafening, the skies starting to darken, the stars starting to fall from the sky in sheets-_ And she watched them for a moment, battling with the sense of dread threatening to overwhelm her, stepping back towards the tree, trying to put the stars back into the sky _but ultimately failing- such things were always meant to be snow, weren't they?_ No- no, they weren't, it wasn't supposed to snow- she let out an audible snarl, pleased that she could make the sound, covering the long grass around the hills in flames to melt the snow, _but the flames rather quickly died out, leaving only the white, snowy ashes of grass, the ground beneath them_ coated in a _having really always been a thick sheet of ice- she'd always known, hadn't she?_

"Known _WHAT_?!" 

...The dream stilled, snow frozen in the air- Seremnis' question bouncing against walls she couldn't see, slowly turning to whispers in the air- morphing, chan _ging, mimicking her own voice in reply. "You were only ever made to serve dragons."_

No, that _wasn't_ hers- a dragon's. She'd recognize that mockery anywhere. "That doesn't matter, I _don't_ belong to you- _any_ of you. _But I almost did._ " She froze, her grip on her staff tightening, the snow around her starting to circle, lazily, almost mockingly around her. "But I _didn't_ and I _don't_ ." _But then… the question was, who did  _ _she belong to?_ "Why don't you just _say_ it instead of hiding in my head like a _coward?!_ "

_"You thought you belonged to your Mother once, but she's long since abandoned you, hasn't she?"_ That… no, _that_ \- Caithe? How would Jormag know what _her_ voice _-_

_"And your true grandfather, Mordremoth- he would have never understood your purpose, and, by my right, he has left you to me."_

It was _purring_ now, she could swear- shifting slowly between voices, all ones she... knew, _trusted_ , eventually seeming to land on a middleground between them. _Rich, soothing... one could listen to that voice for the rest of their life and still love it._ No, no that wasn't it's true voice _could only be better than this._

_"But I understand you, Seremnis- I can protect you, take care of you... I would let you finally rest- I would never lose my pride in you like your Mother has, over such silly things..."_ It didn't... _matter_ if Mother loved her anymore, she had- she knew _others_ did, she'd make _them_ proud- she'd open her mouth to scream back, only to find out that she couldn't feel her lungs, throat… the feeling started spreading, the snow around her gathering into thicker sheets, a strange, sickly warmth spreading from the inside out. She could only tremble, unable to move herself as the thick snow closed in from every side, clouding her vision in white, save for the icy sheen forming across her limbs, climbing up her staff with ease... _and it whispered, sleep- why wouldn't she sleep? Finally rest, let her new protector keep the world from crumbling underneath her like it always did..._

...she'd... lost control, this- this wasn't hers, wasn't her own dream, an... anymore... _"...Jormag, I'm... sorry."_ ...Her own voice, from her own throat. _"Please- there's no one left, no one else could ever be proud of me... I understand- I understand how much I need..._ nneed to... leave... I'm not... _enough..._ shh... shut..." She only barely managed to get her own eyes to close- expending a last burst of energy just to force herself back into oblivion, and... an...

\---

...She took a deep breath... then another, slowly opening her eyes, the frigid air hurting her lungs a little, wind howling outside the little cave they'd decided to stay in for the night- surrounded by rock, no chance of invasion... safe. _Just like I promised you'd_

She abruptly pushed herself upright, forgetting to breathe for a moment as she stared at the bland, grey far wall, vision still a little blurry from sleep. Her panic only worsened as she held up an arm, tried to move her fingers- she could, but she couldn't _feel_ them, feel anything- everything was still sickly _warm_ , _a soft protection from the cruelness outside the cave,_

"...shh... shut..." _What better way to protect yourself than to feel nothing?_ "I'm... nnot liss..." _All you ever have to do is ask for my help, and_ "shut _up_ -" _You'll never have to feel pain again,_ "Get out of-" _no one will ever leave you again._ "Shut _up_ I don't _need_ you, I don't _want-_ " _Haven't you always wondered what it really feels like to be loved?_

She was already shaking curling up again on the ground, bringing up her hands to cover her ears in a vain attempt to block the thoughts, even as they hit... too close, too close to truth- she couldn't... _quite_ help but give a thin whimper... _They can't protect you now, and you know sooner or later you'll fail them without my_ "Shut _up,_ shut up get out get _out_ get _out of my head_ get _OUT Of..._ mmy..."

Something... something had moved her arm- a... there was a voice, familiar... her name- something around her wrist. Warm. She... dared open her eyes again- only now noticing how hard it was to breathe... still blurry, but... oranges- not the same color as the walls...

"...st have done that herself- Braham, she's awake, but something- something's _really_ wrong..."

...Braham? Braham was still here, and...

"...nightmares, too? Thought she said..."

...her lungs hurt... throat hurt, ears hurt, but... couldn't fall back asleep now- couldn't slip...

"...don't think she can feel anything- I'm... not even sure if she can hear..."

...Right- listen. Listen to their voices- focus on that, on... warmth... safety, in warmth... _protection ..._

"...Oh, spirits, as if Drakkar wasn't enough- I think that's hypothermia, or something like it. We gotta get her somewhere warm, fast."

"...carry her- I'll keep the fire as close as I can. I think the kodans were closest..."

_...They can't..._ no, they'd... protect her- they knew what they were doing, she... trusted them. She faintly felt herself being moved- sounds were starting to blend together, even the whispers growing fainter as she fought on the edge of consciousness- even... even being near something... held. Held, by... something warm. There was safety in warmth. Maybe... maybe just enough safety to... slip just a little into sleep...

\---

"...know when she's awake, but... either way, we'll take care of her."

...Warmer. Something cracking... crackling- a fire. A normal... warm fire. She clenched her hand a little- felt her fingers move against something soft- fur, maybe... took a deeper breath, felt the warm, slightly smoky air deep in her chest... blinked a couple times, looking first at the fire, waiting for her vision to clear as she stared into the flames. Just... a normal, wood-fueled fire- burning hot enough to heat the whole room. It... Zori and Braham must've gotten her here. She felt a bit guilty- they'd been close to finding the next spirit, before having to go all the way back here. _Made them wait for her..._

"Sylvari. Is your voice still your own?"

...The voice of a kodan. Things were... still too foggy to remember which member of the small tribe this one was, but... She took a deeper breath to speak- then coughed a couple times, tasting sap, wincing, but... trying again- even though using her voice still hurt. "...gotta... find Jormag, and... kick the rest of his... _stupid_ teeth in..." ...Still hers. Thank... Still hers.

"...I... _think_ that means yes," Zori clarified.

Seremnis let her eyes close again- feeling... well, feeling anything; focusing on what she could touch, now coming to the realization that she was still... being held. Lightly. Maybe- maybe under normal circumstances she wouldn't have allowed it; she... well, normally she could walk just fine. But... but for now, it was... comfortable. Warm. Two things that, now, she very much needed. So... for now, only for now...

She'd let herself rest.

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to call this one 'Hypothermia', because that's... what's happening here, but I already gave that name to a /different/ fic that I've... only posted on Tumblr so far. It'll be here eventually, as will... all the other things I have there, for ease of binge-reading.  
> Also, courtesy of Mayo Clinic's page on Hypothermia,  
> "Someone with hypothermia usually isn't aware of [their] condition because the symptoms often begin gradually. Also, the confused thinking associated with hypothermia prevents self-awareness."


End file.
